Rassie’s headaches after Wallabies defeat

Erasmus will need to clear up his own mind about what it is exactly that must be done to rectify the state of his team

Bok coach Rasse Erasmus says the team will do their best against the All Blacks. Pic: ANA

His thinking

Erasmus will need to clear up his own mind about what it is exactly that must be done to rectify the state of his team.

The Bok coach cannot afford to make decisions out of panic and on a whim as was the case when he pulled off hooker Bongi Mbonambi in the first half citing that the Stormers hooker had emptied his tank.

The Mbonambi decision may just come back to haunt Erasmus as it shows his lack of faith and trust in certain players and that may be enough to divide the team.

Team selection

This has often tripped up Erasmus’ predecessors and it seems to be doing the same this time. Erasmus has to pick right firstly based on form and then the combinations that work.

He has to learn to be loyal to performance and to who best will execute the plan to dismantle the opposition. Reputations won’t be enough to beat the All Blacks and he’ll need to be bold in choosing the right men to do the job. The coach has to be fair to the players and give them equal opportunities to prove that they are worthy of their selection.

A solid Plan

The Boks are in desperate need of a plan, a winning plan. Far too often the Springboks seem to be going through the motions and making decisions purely on what they think best suits the situation.

That won’t fly against the All Blacks and the Springboks will need a plan on how to stop the world champions and at the same time how to beat them.

Trying to stop the All Blacks is near impossible but many teams struggle to know what to do when their fate is still in their own hands.

Defence

The one thing that wins Tests and trophies is defence. The Springboks’ defence is almost non-existent and that shows in the 20 tries they have leaked in the seven Tests under Erasmus.

So far in the Rugby Championship, the Boks conceded nine tries in three Tests and that is a shocking statistic for a side that wants to win Tests. The Springboks will need to fix their defence if they are to have any chance of stopping the All Blacks from running riot.